2006 Poe's Tales of Mystery CHARACTER SHEETS

We will be filming a period, live-action television pilot titled “Edgar Allan Poe’s Mystery Theater” in late November. We are looking for actors to be available for principle photography at that time as well as any necessary pick-ups and ADR that will be needed in December and January. There will be meals and pay under the SAG Ultra-Low Budget Agreement, with partially deferred payment on the back end should the pilot be picked up.

These are the main roles we are looking to cast:

EDGAR: Male, 30’s, Caucasian, thin. Slight British accent.
Edgar is filled with anxiety, unpredictable intelligence, and imagination beyond compare. He is up to his eyeballs in debt, and hounded by creditors. Despite these setbacks, Poe is the leading literary figure in America, the inventor of the detective story, romantic poet, and master of the tale of terror.

VIRGINIA: Female, late teens, early 20’s. Caucasian, petite, cheerful (ballet, dance experience preferred, pianist skills a plus)
The rock in Edgar’s raging sea; Virginia, Poe’s wife and first cousin, sees something in Edgar that no one else can see. She encourages him, laughs at his jokes, and affectionately calls him “Eddy”.

GRISWOLD: Male, mid-20’s to early 30’s, Caucasian, bearded and balding.
Griswold is a scheming literary critic and friend/enemy who tries to destroy Poe's reputation at every turn. He has a twisted obsession with Poe and Virginia, whom he envies, yet admires more than he will admit.

JOHN ALLAN: Male, 60’s, Causcasian, tall and robust. Scottish accent.
The other villain of our story; he is the rigid and extravagantly wealthy foster father who disowns Poe in his teenage years. He amassed his fortune through inheritance and the tabacco trade and owns thousands of slaves. A womanizer, he courted his second wife while his first died of tuberculosis.

JUPITER: Male, 40s, African-American or mixed race, (piano playing skills preferred)
Jupiter is a free black man in the pre-Civil War South. Possibly the son of a white landowner; he was able to buy his freedom. He helps Poe repair the Mystery Theatre and plays piano for the theatre and local pub.

JUNIUS BRUTUS BOOTH: Male, 50’s, strong British voice
Junius, a British immigrant, is the leading stage actor of his time. He lives a Bohemian lifestyle, and has three sons with three different women. He is the father of John Wilkes Booth, who would eventually assassinate President Lincoln.

There are also smaller speaking roles of both genders and different ethnicities to be cast.

We will also be in need of extras.

To apply, please send your headshot and resume to this email address:

poecasting@gmail.com

Please include your name, contact info, and desired role in the body of the email, We will be holding auditions Oct. 22-24, with callbacks on the 25th and 26th.